@anncgrl, my mom has been bedridden for about 13 months now and we use one of the air mattresses on her hospital bed. It does make it difficult to tuck in sheets (which she likes to play with), but she hasn’t had one bed sore because the air is constantly moving in the air mattress. We were able to get the bed and mattress “free” when she was on hospice. When she went off, we purchased both pieces at a good discounted price. I highly recommend an air mattress!

sallysue, my mom never could come to grips with the fact that she had Alzheimer’s and therefore never shared the news with family. My sister and I talked with our aunts and other family who needed to know but we didn’t publicize to others. Mom knew there was something wrong and she grieved it so much but just couldn’t say he words. I think we honored her in not asking her to tell others. Hope this helps you.

@tsoy, when it started to get hard for Mom to get to the bathroom in time, we began using a commode and kept it in her bedroom. She didn’t like it but it did beat the alternative of not making it to the bathroom. We used this method for a few months until it became impossible for me to even move her from her bed to the commode. We began using briefs and bed pads and through the long process of trial and error, we found that TEVA products work the best. We use a brief and a pad each time she is changed. This was not an easy transition (emotionally) for either one of us but we made the best of it. TEVA products are the very best and nothing else I’ve tried compares. Mom was a hospice patient for six months and “graduated”. During this time, we were able to get her a hospital bed (Medicare covered) with a wonderful air mattress that keeps the air flowing so she doesn’t get bed sores. When she graduated from hospice, we used some of Mom’s money to buy the hospital bed, air mattress, and beside table at a discounted price.

During Mom’s time under hospice care, I learned how to change Mom’s brief and bedding without moving her out of the bed. Brief changing: have your loved one lie on their back with their legs bent, undo the tabs on the brief and roll up one side of the tab and place it under the middle of their back, roll the patient on their side, clean them and then remove the brief. While the patient is still on their back, slide a new brief (with a pad inside) under them a bit, roll them on their back and adjust as needed.

I hope that answers your questions. If not, let me know and I’ll answer what I can.

@lindabf My experiences are similar to yours and I remember our family trying to figure out if it was normal memory issues or something more severe; so frustrating and unsettling, not to mention overwhelming.

@kmkm I, too, am caring for my mom in the late middle/early late stages of Alzheimer’s. She lives with us; me, my husband, our recently college graduated daughter. It sounds like we have a few things in common! Some days we cry and some days we giggle because if we don’t giggle, we will cry. Even though Mom’s memory is fading and she doesn’t always know me (usually she thinks I am her oldest sister), she still maintains a large part of her personality which encourages my heart. My mom has been bedridden since January because her legs just gave out on her. She began to be unsettled on her feet and couldn’t walk straight. It wasn’t long after that when her legs just became like cement. We all hate it for her; however, the silver lining in the cloud is that she can’t wander away from the house. I’d love to hear more about your journey with your Mom. I will be thinking of you and praying.

@IndianaScott It is always encouraging to find those who have walked this path before. It’s not something I ever thought we’d be dealing with. I’m excited about this support group and the dementia suffers caregivers group, as well.

@colleenyoung Thanks for the link to the caregiving for dementia sufferers; I’ll join that group as well. I’m always looking for more understanding of this crazy disease and how I can best love my Mom as she struggles through this. I’m so happy to have found this website!